Blue Nose Marathon

A very well organized marathon, in my opinion. This year (as in some years past) some folks got off course for the full marathon. It was amplified this year as it occurred to the 2nd through 5th place finishers. I guess they need to work on course markings, but I had absolutely no trouble following the route. The start/finish area in the Metro Centre is ideal, with shelter and lots of nearby parking. The course is not easy, with the last third through Dartmouth having some tough spots. I think the organizers should take a page from the Mount Desert Island marathon and market it as such - letting people know it is challenging will attract a certain crowd, and people will carry pride in knowing they completed a tough course. You get to see much of Halifax and Dartmouth, with a mix of packed trails and paved roads. I, for one, enjoyed the variety of streets and neighborhoods, and prefer this type of route over a few long stretches of a handful of roads. For the challenge and the variety, I give the course 5-stars. We were lucky this year and had good weather, cool with negligible wind and no rain. Also, although we didn't attend, the kids run the day prior to the marathon seemed to be very well attended, and received good reviews. There is also a good atmosphere in the city for marathon weekend.

An extremely well-organized and friendly event. The pre- and post-race event in Metro Center was great. The volunteers on the course were excellent, and the spectators were friendly and enthusiastic. I have no issue with the course being difficult. (And it is extremely difficult.) However, there were insufficient markings on the course. I (and several other runners) missed a turnoff in Point Pleasant Park, and only ended up on the right path because another runner shouted that we had turned the wrong way. On many of the trails, the only indicators were arrows scratched in the gravel. On more than one occasion (particularly in Dartmouth), I wondered if I was still on the course. That being said, I'm really glad that I did this event. Although my time was much slower than previous races, I still ended up in the same percentile in my division as my previous few races. If you want to really challenge yourself, this is the race for you.

The Blue Nose Marathon is not an easy course because Halifax/Dartmouth are not flat; however, they are friendly, and have some great scenery and running trails and roads. The Blue Nose Marathon takes advantage of these and the wonderful MacDonald Bridge spanning the harbor between Halifax and Dartmouth. It was a wee bit foggy this year (2009) so we didn't get to see much out at Point Pleasant Park (lovely trails though!) or crossing the bridge. This was one of the tougher courses I've run in 25 years of marathon running, but I'm very very glad that I've added it to my list of marathons and highly recommend the race and the Halifax/Dartmouth areas for people from outside Nova Scotia who want a challenging course and a wonderful, grand vacation spot! It's great that the organizers have the Kids' Run on the Saturday before the marathon and then a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon on race-day. There were over 8,000 runners in all of the events combined, but only something like 285 in the actual marathon. It's a good "festival of running," and I really liked watching the kids, including my niece and nephew! The spectators that came out were enthusiastic and welcoming, despite the fact that it was a foggy and cool morning. All in all, it was an excellent experience, a good course and route, and a very satisfying marathon. What more can you ask for? Highly recommended!